


Endless Cherry Blossom Sea

by okoku



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Angst, Developing Relationship, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Ft No shoes corrin, Head band prick, Hoshidans are Vampire Hunters, M/M, Nohrians are Vampires, Takumi being Takumi, Vampire AU, magic spells, teen for swearing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-22
Updated: 2017-06-30
Packaged: 2018-09-26 05:47:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 10,953
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9870152
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/okoku/pseuds/okoku
Summary: Takumi, the third prince of Hoshido,  is set on the destruction of vampires, creatures who plague the towns of Hoshido and send the kingdom into chaos. He swears that Hoshido will win this endless war between the kingdoms of Nohr and Hoshido.A strange encounter in a field of cherry blossoms with bloodsucking prince might just be enough to change his mind.





	1. Chapter 1

  
Takumi had grown up knowing one simple phrase. Whenever he had tried to recall who had first taught him the phrase, he could never place who it was. All Takumi knew was to live by it. He would ink this phrase on the backsides of the spare documents his brother wouldn’t need that were passed onto him to study.

_Nohrian scum._

He would wake up in the middle of the long, cold nights at castle Shirasagi with dreams of monsters plaguing their towns. People with hideous elongated teeth, biting into helpless Hoshidans.

Biting into Sakura.

Biting into Corrin.

Biting into Hinoka.

Biting into Ryoma.

His family would endlessly call his name, never once shutting up and letting him have a peaceful night's sleep. He could never help them, he could only watch his family struggle in vampiric grasps. When Takumi tried to grab his Fujin Yumi, it would remain heavy and limp in his hands. He would wake up drenched in a cold sweat, and remain awake for the rest of the night.

The vampire population of the continent was a problem that the Kingdom of Hoshido was founded to cull. They were to train up the fiercest fighters in the continent to bring an end to the torturous grip the vampires had on the humanity. Ryoma had told Takumi that they were successful for a long time, driving the vampires into the shadows and bringing them to the brink of extinction.

That was before the vampire kingdom of Nohr was founded. These vampires were stronger, smarter, and faster than the past ones. They were working together under a single leader, not in small scattered groups. Their skills had been refined in the darkness, bringing them a step forward to conquering the light.

“Just be thankful they haven’t tried to invade Shirasagi yet.” Ryoma had told Takumi one cloudy morning. There were bags under Ryoma’s eyes- It was evident he hadn't slept for many days.

“But they’ve attacked our towns and people! We need to strike at them while they are still weak! We don’t even know where their capital is.” Takumi had retorted, fire behind his words. Ryoma looked up, startled at the sudden harshness in Takumi’s words. He frowned and closed his eyes, suddenly looking much older than a man his age should.

“You think I don’t know that?” Ryoma’s voice was tired in response before walking out of the room. Takumi bit his lip in regret as the door closed behind him.

It was the first fight the third prince had ever had with his older brother.

He hadn’t meant to yell at Ryoma, it had just kind of...happened. Ryoma hadn’t talked to him for the next two days until he announced that they would be holding a meeting about taking back a village under vampire hold. The Norhian army had snatched the province from the Hoshidian’s a month before. The word that the town was taken from Hoshido reached the capital one week after the fight had happened. There was no word on what happened to the civilians that resided in the peaceful farm village.

Takumi folded his arms and leaned against the walls as his retainers, Oboro and Hinata, walked into the room. His siblings retainers and followed behind them. Everyone scattered out to stand on either side of their lord, the only exception being Yukimura. He stood next to Corrin in absence of retainers. Hinata nudged Takumi and winked playfully, “Lord Takumi! I heard we were gonna go on some- Oof!” Oboro nudged Hinata sharply.

“Be quiet, would you? Lord Ryoma is making an announcement and it is our duty to listen.” Oboro hissed. She stood up straight, her dark hair neatly done up as usual. Hinata rubbed his neck and grinned brightly. Takumi rolled his eyes at his two retainers. The rest of the castle was used to the constant friendly bickering by now, and Takumi figured that even Hinata would understand that by now. Hinata laughed shallowly and stood next to Takumi.

Ryoma stood in the middle of the room, Saizo and Kagero standing on either side of him respectfully. “I called this meeting to decide on the action we will take regarding the village under Nohrian grasp. We will not,” Ryoma looked towards Takumi. “Have any outbursts. We will speak in a calm and collected matter.” Takumi dipped his head, his cheeks flushing embarrassedly for being called out in front of his siblings and retainers. Corrin shot him a sympathetic glance, and Takumi looked away from both of his brothers.

_Don’t pity me!_

Hinoka was the first to break the silence. “I think we need to focus on the idea that if we try to take the village back, we will lose Hoshidan lives. Nohrians have no end to their thirst for blood. Families will be broken. ” She looked back at her retainers and Azama nodded in agreement, Setsuna too busy staring off to notice that her master was talking. She slowly looked over to Azama and began to nod, copying his movements entirely.

“But we’re losing.” Takumi mumbled. Again, Corrin flashed him one of his famous sympathetic older brother smiles. Corrin closed his eyes in thought and then opened them again. He smiled at everyone in the room before speaking.

“I think going into a battle with the expectation that we will lose lives is only logical. However, Takumi brings up a fair point.” Corrin swallows before continuing, staring right at Ryoma as he speaks. “Hoshido won’t be around for much longer if we don’t do anything about the Nohrians. We can’t let them breach Shirasagi.” His voice is delicate as he explains, and Sakura squeaks in the background.

Sakura sniffled in the corner of the room, her eyes wide at the idea of the Nohrians attacking their home. Takumi frowned at Corrin and Ryoma, his arms crossed.

_She’s never liked this war against the Nohrians. She's so delicate, this world isn't fair to her._

Ryoma closed his eyes, the whole room dangling on a string. He opened them back up and looked towards Yukimura. “Yukimura, Saizo, Kagero. Come to the tactics room at once.” He commands. Yukimura pushes the glasses up the bridge of his nose and follows Ryoma out of the room. The door shuts coldly behind the group, and the moment it does Sakura collapses into tears.

Subaki and Hana rush to her side faster before Takumi and Hinoka can. Hana clutches her tightly, and Subaki nods at Takumi. Takumi glares at the red-haired retainer dismissing him before storming out of the room, Hinata and Oboro close behind him.

“That stupid Subaki. Think he’s so perfect. Why tell me to leave and not Hinoka! Maybe we should both stay! Maybe he should leave, he's not even Sakura’s family!” Takumi yells, his voice echoing through the empty castle hallway. Oboro and Hinata pace behind him, exchanging worried glances. Takumi stopped outside of his bedroom to enter, but then quickly left as he grabbed his Fujin Yumi.

“Lord Takumi! Where are you going?” Oboro called as Takumi broke out into a sprint. Takumi looked back to his retainers as he ran. He pointed to his bow.

“I’m going hunting! Don’t try to look for me and for the sake of the dawn dragon, don’t get in trouble while I’m gone!” Takumi yelled. Oboro and Hinata looked at each other and stopped. Hinata flashed Takumi a thumbs up and Oboro cheerfully waved goodbye.

“We’ll come and find ya if you aren't back by the time the sun has set!” He heard Hinata yell distantly. Takumi scowled to himself and continued to move down the castle halls.

☆

Takumi pulled back his bowstring, focusing until an arrow of light appeared. The arrow glowed, yet casted no light on the surroundings around it. Takumi had made sure he was completely hidden behind the bushes. His eyelids dropped to focus on his target, a white rabbit hopping through the cherry blossoms. Takumi released the arrow and it flew swiftly to it’s target.

_Easy._

The arrow of light dissolved as it made contact, and Takumi rose to collect his former target. Takumi jumped back as the rabbit was swept up, falling flat onto his back. The spot where the rabbit was laying was completely empty, with no evidence of Takumi’s hunt left except for the memory of the hunt. “This is so disappointing. Camilla said Hoshidan rabbits would be better than this.” Takumi scrambled to his feet as he heard a voice ring out.

He gripped his Fujin Yumi tightly and summoned the arrow. “Show yourself!” He yelled, pulling back on the bowstring of light and moving around in a circle. His heart hammered loudly in his head. He blinked quickly, trying to calm himself as he searched around.

A loud noise caught Takumi’s attention. He snapped his head in the direction of the noise, and his heart sped up even faster as he laid his eyes on the deflated corpse of a white rabbit, back in the space where the arrow had struck it the first time. It seemed hollow, almost empty as it laid on the ground.

“M-monster! Show yourself!” Takumi yelled, louder than last time. Laughter surrounded him, seemingly coming from all sides. His arm began to shake and a sharp pain coursed through his head from keeping the Fujin Yumi arrow summoned for so long.

“Honestly, I don’t know why Elise is so fond of you guys. It’s truly insufferable how you humans attempt to stay calm in pointless situations.” The voice said again, this time Takumi could tell a general area where it was from. Takumi looked up, his eyes narrowing in the sun as he searched for a figure.

_There!_

Hidden by the cherry blossoms was a person lounging on the tree branch, watching Takumi contently. It flinched as Takumi made eye contact with it, and sat up. A long purple cloak draped over the person’s shoulders. Takumi immediately pointed the Fujin Yumi at it, his arms strained from drawing the bow string for so long. “Ugh. How annoying.” The person said, the voice most definitely sounding male.

His russet eyes gave off a supernatural glow, almost catlike in nature. His hair was a ghostly blonde, almost unhealthy in color. Not to mention the pale skin. Takumi slowly inched closer to the cherry blossom tree, his arms burning. “Get down from there.” He said, pointing the Fujin Yumi at the ground.

The man sighed and shook his head. “Don’t tell me what to do, human.” He said sharply, looking down at Takumi. Takumi immediately stepped back and fired an arrow. The man swiftly dodged it and landed on the ground.

_Only vampires look down on humans._

He laughed, exposing his vampiric fangs, furthermore confirming Takumi’s thoughts. Takumi fired another arrow from the Fujin Yumi, and the vampire dodged it gracefully. The vampire sighs and rolls his eyes. Memories of Queen Mikito’s death filtered through his find as his anger fueled up stronger.

He shot arrow after arrow, each one barely missing as the vampire nimbly jumped from tree to tree. The vampire stopped moving to stare at the setting sun. He looked back at Takumi. “I'm afraid I have to get going now. I must thank you for your time, Hoshidan prince. It was truly an educational experience.”

The vampire bolted away, disappearing into the sea of cherry blossoms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> woah!! Thank you for reading all the way here. I'm so exicited for this fic and where it will be going, so I hope you guys all are too. I love leokumi with a passion so it was only natural that leokumi was the next fic I decided to work on. I usually update in about one to two weeks after a chapter is uploaded.  
> Please leave a kudos if you are enjoying the beginning of Endless Cherry Blossom Sea. It really helps me see how well recieved it is among the community.  
> Thank you for reading the first chapter, and I hope you all have a wonderful day!


	2. Chapter 2

Takumi’s eyes widened, and he dashed in hot pursuit of the vampire. “Get back here, vampire scum!” He yelled, his lungs burning as he sprinted after the blur of purple in front of him. The vampire looked back before speeding up even faster. Takumi swore that the vampire was smirking at him. He tried to run faster, breathing heavily until he could no longer take it any more.

Takumi swore loudly as he stopped, gasping for breath. Takumi looked up and readied his Fujin Yumi and fired an arrow at the vampire. The arrow made contact, flinging the vampire forward. He looked back at Takumi, his eyes full of hate. Takumi summoned another arrow, pointing it at the vampire as he slowly walked over. “Stay right there.” He said, his voice low. The vamire sighed and sat up, amber catlike eyes alert.

The vampire sighed and looked at Takumi. He narrowed his eyes and moved his hand to his side, flipping locks open on what seemed to be a book. Takumi pointed to the book with his arrow. “What is that- damn!” Takumi was cut off as he was knocked back by what looked like a rather large branch.

The vampire was back up on his feet, giving off a glow as the sun was setting behind him. “May we meet again, Hoshidan prince.” The vampire laughed, gripping his tome and licking his lips.

“W-wait..”

That was all Takumi recalled as he faded out of consciousness, the world of color changing to black and white.

☆

“B-big brother!”

Takumi’s head hurt, oh how it hurt. He instinctively reached up and placed his hand on his forehead, discovering that the pain was interior. The voice repeated itself, and Takumi opened his eyes to the worried face of Sakura. Her deep red eyes were wide and worried as she messed with her fingers as Takumi opened his eyes. Takumi slowly raised his hand to pat her head, smiling at her.

"I hope you weren't too worried about me." He said. Sakura leaned forward to hug her brother, her small arms wrapping around him. Potted plants sat in the corners of the room, and Takumi recognized it as the Shirasagi infirmary.

_Infirmary? Why am I here?_

Sakura stepped back and looked over Takumi, inhaling to steady herself with her eyes wide with tears. "Y-you were out for the rest of the night-" Sakura jumped as the door slammed open, Hinoka appearing first in the doorway. Corrin and Ryoma followed close behind her, expressions of worry quite clear upon their faces. Hinoka was the first of the three to hug him, Corrin and Ryoma close behind.

Ryoma let out a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness you woke up as fast as you did. We were worried sick about you." Sakura, Hinoka, and Corrin nodded in agreement. Takumi nodded hesitantly, trying to remember why he was in the infirmary in the first place. Sakura slowly took hold of his hand and turned it over. She rubbed a bruise on Takumi's hand with her thumb, gently with care.

Her face went pale and she set it down. "You appear to b-be sporting a rather purple bruise." She stammered. Takumi sat up straight in the bed, startling everyone in the room with the sudden burst of movement. He looked down at his hand and remembered the branch appearing and striking him, and the person with the purple cloak-

_Purple...purple! That dastard vampire!_

"Who found me and where?" Takumi asked sharply, looking at all his siblings. Corrin stepped forward and at the foot of Takumi's infirmary bed. His face was gentle as usual, his big eyes blinking as he opened his mouth to speak.

"Hinata and Oboro found you in a bed of cherry blossoms." Corrin looked away, and then back to Takumi. "They reported a cave of thick branches and green leaves growing over you." He said softly, not breaking eye contact with the young prince. Takumi narrowed his eyes.

"Did they get attacked by anything? Did they see anything suspicious?" Takumi questioned. Corrin shook his head and stood up from Takumi's bed. Takumi peeled the thin infirmary sheet off of him and stood up, taking a step to the door. The only place he felt pain was his wrist and head, nowhere else. Sakura ran in front of him and tried to gently push him back to bed, her small tugs futile.

"Y-you need to rest!" She said, looking up at him. Takumi shook his head and stepped to the side to get around Sakura. Ryoma stepped in his way, covering the door with his built frame. His eyes were narrow and stern as he looked at Takumi. Takumi tried to move again, getting past Sakura but not Ryoma. Ryoma's arms were folded and he looked back to the bed, signaling to Takumi that he should get back into the bed immediately.

"Let me through, I'm perfectly fine. All I have are a few bruises right? Let me speak with Hinata and Oboro." Takumi testified. Ryoma looked to Sakura, ignoring Takumi. Sakura tugged on her brother's sleeve, and Takumi turned around to face her.

_She looks so much like Mother._

"I-I'm pretty sure you'll be okay, but I don't think you should leave the castle. Please d-don't hesitate to come to me or Azama if you feel something is wrong though." Sakura let go of his sleeve and gave him a soft smile. Takumi nodded his head and Ryoma stepped out of the doorway.

"Thank you, Sakura. Everyone." Takumi said, stepping out of the door to find his retainers. A warm wind blew through the open castle hallways. He closed his eyes and breathed in, a sweet smell filling his senses. His hair had been untied, probably by Sakura. It had been a while since he had his hair down, Takumi was always used to waking up early in the morning to do his hair.

Sakura had been the first person to do up his hair, first for fun. Queen Mikoto had told Takumi to let Sakura practice doing hair on Takumi's hair. He had grudgingly agreed at first, but soon it had became natural for him to have it up. Even his retainers, Hinata and Oboro, had done their hair modeled after his.

"Lord Takumi!" Hinata shouted loudly, even though he wasn't more than a couple of feet in front of him. Oboro repeated what Hinata had said, this time with a much more casual tone. Her eyes gave her happiness away, as they matched the same brightness that Hinata's held as the two retainers sprinted up to their prince.

"I'm glad we found you. Hinata was about to suggest going to search somewhere else for you." Oboro put her hand on her hip and looked over to Hinata. She raised her eyebrows and Hinata shrugged and laughed again.

"I'm glad you guys did find me. I don't think it would have been good if you didn't. " Takumi said, truth shining through his voice. Before, he would have been sure the vampire would've killed him in a heartbeat. Oboro shifted uncomfortably under Takumi’s stare, and Hinata's laugh sounded a bit more forced than natural.

“Well, the funny thing is…” Oboro bit her lip and swerved on the balls of her feet. “There was a trail of flowers that led us to where you were. They were dark red, unlike anything we had never seen before. Orochi went out to look at them as soon as we reported it.” Hinata nodded in agreement.

_A trail..? What?_

Takumi’s eyes widened. A trail wouldn't make any sense, especially if the vampire was trying to kill him. What kind of attacker would leave a trail to their victim? Would even leave their victim alive? “Hinata, Oboro.” The two retainer straightened their posture, both pairs of eyes glimmering with excitement. “Take me to the flowers, I need to see them for myself.” Takumi commanded, crossing his arms.

_Please say they don't know I'm not allowed to leave the castle._

Takumi pushed his hair behind his ear. “Where is my Fujin Yumi?” He asked. The young prince recalled not seeing his Fujin Yumi since he woke up. He had last seen the Fujin Yumi during the fight with the vampire.

Fear prickled through his skin as his retainers remained silent. The spark dropped from Hinata and Oboro’s eyes. “Huh, Oboro, why don't you tell him…” Hinata stuttered, nudging Oboro.

Takumi threw up his hands in exhaustion. “I'm going to see Ryoma!” He called, already walking away from his retainers.

Takumi slammed the infirmary door open. “Where is Ryoma?” He called, making the few shrine maidens working jump in surprise before resuming work. Sakura looked up from the shelf she was organizing and moved over to Takumi.

“I-I think he went back to his study.” Sakura stuttered, smiling warmly. She reached up to touch the loose strands of Takumi’s hair. “It’s been awhile s-since your hair has been down. It l-looks nice.” Sakura giggled softly.

Takumi patted his sister’s head. “Thank you, Sakura.” Takumi nodded and left the infirmary, closing the door behind him and walking through the castle hallways until he reached his mother’s old study. He pushed open the door.

Ryoma stood, hunched over his desk. He looked to his door to meet Takumi’s gaze. Corrin was with Ryoma, holding a piece of parchment in his right hand. “Takumi-”

“Where is my Fujin Yumi?” Takumi asked, cutting Corrin off. Ryoma sighed and stood up straight. Takumi folded his arms, his heartbeat loud in his head. His legs felt weak, as if he already knew the answer. Corrin smiled weakly.

Ryoma started again. “Takumi, you know it is impolite to-”

“Where is my Fujin Yumi?” Takumi yelled sharply. Ryoma glared at Takumi.

“We don’t know! Leave now.” Ryoma yelled, raising his voice above Takumi’s. Corrin put down the paper and moved between his brothers. Takumi stomped his foot, tears welling up in his eyes from the words and the confirmation of his missing bow.

_I need to find it! I need my Fujin Yumi!_

“Fine!” Takumi said sharply, turning out of the room and slamming the door behind him. "Who cares what you think!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading the newest chapter! I'm having a blast writing this, and I'm glad you guys seem to be liking this! Thank you so much for all the positive comments, it means the world to me!  
> Have a fantastic day! A new kudos or comment makes my day, it really does! I swear we will get to some good Leo/Takumi dialogue, I promise <3


	3. Chapter 3

Takumi woke up with a start, breathing heavily as he tried to calm himself down. He ran his hands through his hair, gripping it tightly to calm himself down. He had dreamed that he had lost his Fujin Yumi. It was vivid, like the event had actually happened. Takumi sat up, looking outside his window. It was the middle of the night, but he felt the need to check the royal weapons room to make sure it was still there. Then he could go back to sleep without worrying. 

Takumi slid out of his bed, careful not to make a sound. He didn't want anyone to know he was acting paranoid again. He already knew he was the worst prince in the history of Hoshido and didn't need anymore scolding to confirm it. He squinted in the darkness, thinking whether it was worth it or not to grab a candle. Takumi decided against it. The moonlight would have to do. 

Takumi carefully slid the shoji door open and then closed it behind him as he stepped into the hallway. He breathed in sharply, more of his dream coming to him. The Fujin Yumi had been stolen away by Nohrians. The mere thought of it sent chills up his spine. Without his Fujin Yumi, he was nothing. No one. As far as he knew, his only redeeming quality was being chosen to wield the Fujin Yumi.

Takumi crept through the halls of Castle Shirasagi, making sure to hide as he heard approaching castle samurai. When he couldn't hear the clanking of armor, he would continue his way to the royal weapons room. Takumi knew he wouldn't get in trouble, but he didn't want to admit he had another nightmare. It seemed childish. 

The dread in his stomach only heightened as he drew closer to the royal weapons room. Why was he nervous? Of course it would be there, it had to be. He wasn't dumb enough to get his Fujin Yumi stolen.

Or was he?

He looked at the white and russet colored walls, his breathing quickening. Russet, where had he seen that color? Takumi racked through his brain, panicking. He broke into a sprint to the weapons room, sliding the door open.

His eyes widened as he only saw the Raijinto tucked away in its case, tiny sparks of electricity flitting around it. He looked to the case where the Fujin Yumi should have been. It was empty and dark. His stomach did a flip as his head only filled with one thought. 

He would have to get it back. Screw the fact that it was late at night. Takumi would do anything to get his hands back on his Fujin Yumi. 

“Nohrian scum.” Takumi spat, running to his room. He changed into his usual armor, his mind only set on one objective. He would have to get his Fujin Yumi back, and that was all that mattered. Get it back, or die trying. 

Takumi tied his hair up in the mirror. It shined in the moonlight as he pushed the ponytail behind his shoulder. He bit his lip as he thought of Sakura tying up his hair, but quickly shook his head to rid himself of the memory. He could focus on the past later. 

Takumi made his way to the armory. He felt a pang of sadness as he looked at the yumis. He didn't want to depend on some other bow, he wanted his bow. Takumi grabbed a silver yumi, testing its weight in his hands. It was nothing like the Fujin Yumi, but it would have to do. 

Takumi took arrows too. He wasn't used to having to grab arrows before heading out, he would always summon them with the Fujin Yumi. The arrows of light weighed nothing, while the arrows of the silver bow only weighed him down. 

Once he was fully equipped, Takumi made his way outside. “Who's there?” A guard called out. Takumi quickly hid behind a wall, his heart racing. He couldn't be caught trying to sneak out of the castle, Ryoma would kill him. Corrin would give him a look of disappointment. Hinoka would give him a scolding from the heart. Sakura would just be glad he wasn't hurt.

“You're probably just delusional.”

“Am not. Nohrians are tricky dastards. You never know when they can sneak up on you.”

“Nohrians need sleep too. C’mon, lets go somewhere else.”

Takumi let out a sigh of relief as the samurai walked away. He made a mental note to talk to Yukimura or Ryoma about upgrading security once Takumi returned. He wouldn't put it past Nohrians to attack in the dead of night while everyone was asleep. They were just that dirty. 

He was going to slay the blonde haired vampire. Takumi just knew that was the person who had taken his Fujin Yumi. Takumi stepped onto a dirt path, looking back at Castle Shirasagi. “I'll be back soon.” He whispered before turning away from the castle.

☆

Takumi had no idea where he was going. He felt foolish for taking off from the castle without a plan. He'd been following this trail for hours, dammit. All he was trying to do was locate where he was passed out. Then again, what would Takumi do after that? 

“I'm so stupid!” Takumi yelled, kicking the nearest tree. Cherry blossom fluttered down as he did so. He had found the forest at least, but he couldn't find where the battle had occurred.

“You really are.”

Takumi looked up, his eyes wide as he heard a familiar voice. He immediately looked at the treetops, searching for a dash of purple among the pink. “Nohrian scum! Where are you?” Takumi stuttered, searching for the vampire. Takumi reached to his back to grab his silver yumi. He tightened his grip around it as he brought it around to the front of him. 

“I really don't think you should call me scum, insufferable prince. All you do is complain.” The voice replied again. Takumi shot an arrow blindly into a tree. The arrow fell clumsily to the ground. Takumi ran over and picked it up, redying the arrow once more. He would be ready to shoot the vampire as soon as he revealed himself. 

Takumi smirked. “At least I don't hide in the shadows and throw meaningless insults at people, Nohrian scum.” Takumi said, trying to draw the vampire out of hiding. He quietly prayed that the vampire would emerge into Takumi’s sight. 

Takumi turned around as he heard a whoosh behind him. He came face to face with russet eyes and blonde hair. Takumi stumpled back a bit, surprised at the vampire being so close. Unfortunately, he had lost hold of his redied arrow. It fired pathetically into the grass. The vampire stepped on it, breaking it beneath his foot. 

Takumi looked him up and down, his eyes freezing on the vampire’s left hand. The Fujin Yumi was held securely in the vampire’s grasp. “Give it back.” Takumi said hotly, looking at the Fujin Yumi. The vampire pulled the Fujin Yumi to his chest. 

“Why would I? Would you do the same if you held my Brynhildr?” The vampire questioned. Takumi lundged for the Fujin Yumi again, only for the vampire to gracefully dodge him. 

“Whats a Bryhildr?” Takumi asked, his interest getting the best of him. He loved learning, especially about things he didn't know. He tried once more for his Fujin Yumi. 

The vampire repeated his previous action. The ends of his lips hinted to a small smile. “I guess my Bryhildr is my…” The vampire stopped, in thought. “My ‘Fujin Yumi’.” The vampire stepped farther away from Takumi. 

“I'll kill you.” Takumi said, redying his bow as the vampire bought up the Fujin Yumi once more. “Filthy vampire.” He let an arrow fly, surprising the vampire.

The arrow slit the side of the vampire’s arm as it flew by. “You won't kill me.” The vampire said confidently, stepping closer to Takumi. 

“Watch me.” Takumi grumbled, firing another arrow. It whizzed past the vampire, almost making contact. Takumi fired another arrow, cursing as it had the same result. The Fujin Yumi was much more accurate. He could hit his targets from a mile away, but now he could barely hit one a foot away. 

The vampire sighed, his black headband glinting in the midnight. “Do you really want your Fujin Yumi back, Prince Takumi?” The vampire asked, his voice suddenly dry. Takumi nodded. 

“I want my Fujin Yumi back.” Takumi cringed as the vampire said his name. He didn't like it, the way how smooth and nice his name sounded coming from the vampire's lips. 

The vampire slowly extended the Fujin Yumi to Takumi, his hand shaking slightly. Takumi’s eyes widened. Was it really this easy? It had to be a trap. Takumi quickly took the Fujin Yumi from the vampire's grasp.

Takumi threw the silver yumi and arrows to the ground as he held his Fujin Yumi close to him. He grinned as the Fujin Yumi lit up, a bowstring of light appearing. He aimed it at the vampire. “You're a fool.” He whispered before firing the arrow. 

The vampire’s eyes widened as the arrow hit his chest, flinging him back. Takumi waited for the dust to clear before stepping to the vampire. He could see that the vampire was breathing slightly- still alive. “You'll regret taking my Fujin Yumi.” Takumi said, redying another arrow. He put his foot on the vampire’s chest and aimed the arrow at the vampire's neck. 

“I didn't kill you.” The vampire said, not skipping a beat. The vampire's eyes glowed in the darkness. If it was a different situation, perhaps a different time and circumstance, Takumi would have described the vampire’s eyes as beautiful. 

Takumi glared at the vampire. “Liar.” Takumi said, thinking back. He was only alive because Hinata and Oboro had found him. A sickening realization spawned in Takumi's stomach. 

They had followed a trail of roses. 

Meaning that the vampire's objective was never to kill Takumi, but was to take the Fujin Yumi. He had even been as kind as to lead a trail and protect Takumi. 

Takumi swore loudly and stepped off of the vampire. “Just this once.” Takumi spat. “If I ever see you again, I'm killing you.” Takumi looked away from the vampire. The vampire stood up. 

Takumi looked back over to the vampire. “Leo. My name is Leo. Don't forget it, Prince Takumi.” The vampire said, his cape flowing behind him.

Takumi looked at Leo. It was a fitting name. It just went with the purple clothes, blonde hair, and russet eyes. If Takumi was a fool, he could have mistaken the vampire for Nohrian royalty. All he knew about the Norhian royals was that they wouldn't hesitate to kill him in an instant. 

The vampire disappeared from Takumi’s view. He wanted to chase after Leo, ask him more questions. He looked at his Fujin Yumi. It seemed completely fine, no alterations made. 

It was a shame Takumi didn't notice the rose carved into the side of the bow at the very top.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you so much for reading all the way here! i apologize for the late update, i truly do feel bad. but its summer now! and summer means new chapters. if you haven't left a kudos yet, please do. it helps a lot~~ Have a great day!  
> PS. playing shadows of valentia right now. freaking amazing.


	4. Chapter 4

Takumi trekked back to castle Shirasagi, following the dirt trail. He breathed heavily, exhausted. Takumi was tired, after all he hadn't even gotten much sleep. Plus he had fought against a strong vampire, much stronger than any he had ever faced before.

Takumi was used to vampires dying after only one blow from the Fujin Yumi, but this vampire had lived. Leo was smart, so much so that it bothered Takumi. He wanted go back and find the vampire, just to question him. Takumi gripped his Fujin Yumi tighter. Why had the vampire just given the legendary bow back?

His mind whirled with questions. Takumi was useless without the Fujin Yumi, he knew that as well as anyone. If he told that to Ryoma, he would just lie to him and tell him he was valuable. Even Hinoka, as truthful as she always was, would lie to him and tell him he was needed. Takumi knew better not to listen to them.

Takumi pushed past the samurai and headed into castle Shirasagi. The sun was starting to rise, perhaps he could get back to his bedroom without anyone noticing he had left. Takumi made his way through the halls, his feet dragging on the floor as he did so.

Takumi felt a firm tug on his arm and turned around to face Corrin. “Corrin.” He said, his voice firm as usual. He just had to play it off. If he acted non-suspicious, he could get away with sneaking out.

Corrin let go of his arm. “Are you kidding me right now, Takumi? Sneaking out of the castle in the middle of the night? You could have died.” Corrin said immediately, not skirting around the facts. Takumi bit his lip. He hadn't even said anything, and Corrin had already known what he had done.

Takumi held up his Fujin Yumi. “I got it back, Corrin. Thats all that matters.” Takumi turned around again and began walking back to his bedroom. Corrin pulled on his arm again. “It doesn’t matter.” Takumi whispered, growing frustrated.

Corrin crossed his arms. “Yes it does. How did you get that back? Hinata and Oboro couldn’t find the Fujin Yumi went they went out looking for it. Yet you leave for a few hours and come back with the Fujin Yumi and not a scratch on you. Explain, Takumi. Or I’ll tell Ryoma.” Corrin whispered threateningly.

Takumi sighed and leaned on the Fujin Yumi, relying on it for balance. He knew he couldn’t tell Corrin about Leo. He could, but then he would have to explain about why he spared Leo’s life. Takumi wanted to sigh, but knew it would give away his lies.

“I found it. My Fujin Yumi was resting at the base of a cherry blossom tree. If I were to guess, the same Nohrian scum who stole it last time probably put it back.” Takumi lied, hoping he could convince Corrin.

Corrin tilted his head, looking into Takumi’s eyes. Corrin ran a hand through his silver hair and yawned. “Really? You aren’t lying to me, Takumi? Why would any Nohrian do that?” Corrin’s eyelids drooped slightly as he stared at Takumi.

Corrin had probably spent the whole night planning battle strategy with Ryoma. This would often result in Corrin and Ryoma being terribly tired the next morning. It was an event that occurred often, and the only ones working on it was Ryoma and Corrin. Takumi hadn’t even been invited once to help them.

“I’m not lying to you.” Takumi grumbled, meeting Corrin’s red gaze. Corrin nodded slightly, too tired to deal with Takumi, and turned around, his blue cape flowing behind him. He walked back down the hallway, his bare feet making tiny pit pats as they hit the floor.

Once Corrin was out of earshot, Takumi let out a long sigh as he walked back to his bedroom. He opened his door and placed the Fujin Yumi on the wall next to his bed. Sakura didn’t like it whenever Takumi slept next to his Fujin Yumi.

“It always seems like you’re ready to fight whenever you sleep next to it.” Sakura had told him once. She had been sad that day as she traced her hand up and down the Fujin Yumi. Takumi had never asked why she was sad, he figured it was none of his business. Oboro had always told him not to barge in on a lady’s business.

Takumi climbed into his bed, almost collapsing from exhaustion. He was still wearing his armor, but that didn't concern him in the slightest. Takumi closed his eyes, allowing himself to fall into the depths of sleep.

☆

Takumi yawned as he woke up, his eyes drooping. He shifted around uncomfortably in bed, hearing the small clanking of his armor. He sat up, untying his hair. Takumi began taking off his armor. He was extra careful to not make too much noise and risk waking up a member of his family.

Takumi slipped on something comfortable and stood up. He looked back over to the bed. It was tempting, the warm sheets practically calling his name as they remained open. Takumi stumbled toward his bed, falling into them.

Takumi curled into his sheets, flinching as he saw something move out of the corner of his eye. He immediately moved for his Fujin Yumi, crawling out of his bed. He stumbled over to it, sleep still heavy in his mind.

Takumi pulled the Fujin Yumi into bed with him, running his fingers over it. He would be ready if anyone even tried to attack him. The Fujin Yumi was smooth as always, no scratches or dents. Takumi didn't think it could dent.

Takumi flipped over his Fujin Yumi as his fingers ran over a rough bit on the Fujin Yumi. His heart sped up as he looked up and down the Fujin Yumi, his eyes suddenly resting on what he was looking for. A rose was engraved into the tip of the bow. It was very well done, all of the edges well rounded. Whoever had carved it must had put in a lot of effort.

The strangest thing about the carving was the soft purple glow it was giving off. The light wasn't enough to illuminate the entire room, but it was enough to be noticeable in the dark. Takumi bit his lip. The filthy Nohrian had done something to his bow, but he didn't know what the rose meant.

Takumi’s head slumped back. He stared at the ceiling, dread begging to fill up in his stomach. “What do I do now?” He whispered weakly. Takumi covered his face with his hands. He was screwed.

“I didn't know princes were allowed to cry in their spare time.”

Takumi immediately took his hands off his face and tightened his grip on his Fujin Yumi. He glared as he made eye contact with Leo. Leo stood in the middle of Takumi’s room, his arms crossed. His hair was as nice as it was back in the forest, maybe even nicer. “How the hell did you get in here?” Takumi spat.

Leo looked over to the side, acting bored and uninterested. “Secret.” He said. Leo walked over to the small two person table Takumi had in his room. He pulled out a chair and sat in it, staring at Takumi.

“Don't give me that shit, filthy Nohrian.” Takumi stepped off of his bed. He felt a bit immature, still dressed in his pajamas as he faced off with a vampire. He picked his Fujin Yumi off his bed, holding it tightly.

“I'm not giving you any shit, Prince Takumi.” Leo smirked and put his elbow on the table, resting his head in his hand. The pose just ticked Takumi off more.

Takumi took a step forward, his grip tightening on his bow. He wasn't sure if he should use it. It may be bad, now that the rose on the Fujin Yumi was glowing. Takumi wasn't in the mood to be experimenting. “Wh-why are you here?”

Leo’s eyes flashed and he stared into Takumi's eyes. “To study about the Hoshidan prince, of course. I'm here to learn more about you and your kingdom.” Leo explained.

Takumi wasn't a fish, he wasn't to be watched and have his goddamn cage poked at. Takumi threw his Fujin Yumi back on the bed and launched towards Leo, attempting to tackle him. He went straight through Leo, landing on the ground next to him. Leo’s smile only grew. “Cool, isn't it?”

Takumi swiped again at Leo’s silhouette, his hand only going through him. “What the hell?” Takumi mumbled, confused.

Leo ran a hand through his hair, stopping just before his headband. “Its a spell. You can look, but you cannot touch. I hope you'll enjoy my company, Prince Takumi.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoop whoop! I'm trying to crank out as many updates for this as I can. If you enjoyed the chapter, a comment would be much appreciated. Thank you so much for reading this chapter of Endless Cherry Blossom Sea!  
> oh my god while i was writing this "but" corrected to "buttsex" wOW


	5. Chapter 5

“It's a spell. You can look, but you cannot touch. I hope you'll enjoy my company, Prince Takumi.” Leo said coolly, staring at Takumi. He was quite entertained looking at Takumi’s scrunched up angry expression. Takumi’s eyes flashed with annoyance.

Leo looked down at himself, somewhat amazed that the spell had worked in the first place. Leo remembered looking through a book in the Nohrian library when he stumbled across the spell. It would allow him to appear before someone without actually being there. All he had to do was enchant the weapon the person he wanted to haunt used last. The spell seemed simple enough, he would just have to do something the Nohrian royal family hadn’t done before.

He would have to take the Fujin Yumi.

Leo was thankful he had finally found the prince hunting. He spent hours pouring through villages, asking if there were any rumors about where the prince hunted. Most of the rumors pointed Leo to the same place, a forest full of cherry blossoms.

It was difficult enchanting the Fujin Yumi once he got his hands on it. Leo had spent hours in his bedroom agonizing over how he would enchant it. Everything he tried turned out useless, just bouncing off of the legendary bow. He finally found a way though, using his own Brynhildr tree to carve a rose into Takumi's Brynhildr. Then he poured his magic into it, and the bow was ready to go. If the spell worked, Leo could appear before Takumi. If it didn't, Takumi had an engraving on his bow. Leo figured both would work to piss off the prince.

Back at the Nohrian castle, Leo was sleeping in his bed. Once he finished all of his royal duties, Garon didn't give a damn what he did. Even if Garon caught him sleeping, he could just tell his father what he was doing. If anything, he would just be praised and sent off to continue. Whenever he closed his eyes, the spell promised to send him to Takumi.

He didn't want Garon to catch him yet. Leo wanted to spy on Takumi as much as possible, and report the information he gained once he figured out a way to destroy Hoshido. He would dump all of his information at once to prove how valuable he was to Nohr, not that he doubted his standing as the second Nohrian prince.

The Nohrian royal family consisted of Xander, Camilla, Azura, Elise, and himself. Leo was second youngest, but he never let that get him down. Leo strived to be better than Xander, and he would see to it that he did so. He respected his older brother more than anything in the world.

Garon was the head of the Nohrian royal family, and head of Nohr itself. He orchestrated almost all attacks on Hoshido, Xander working beside him. Azura always was far off mentally, suggesting ways to negotiate peace deals between Hoshido and Nohr. Garon had been so disgusted she was never called on to work on war strategy again. Camilla always turned the invitation down, saying she would swing her axe whenever and wherever they wanted her to. That left Leo to be invited. Leo was more than excited to work on war strategy, always fascinated by the elements that came into play.

The spell had elements that fascinated him too. It seemed like a strong spell, yet it had been easy for Leo to carry out. This had concerned Leo at first, but he shrugged it off. Any side effects the spell wanted to throw at him he could handle.

Whenever Leo would close his eyes to sleep, the spell promised to send him to haunt the whoever used the enchanted weapon last. Therefore, since Leo enchanted the Fujin Yumi, the only person he could possibly haunt was Takumi. The spell was flawless. Once decided to go back, he would disappear from Takumi's sight and go back to his sleeping body.

Takumi put his hand through Leo again, looking like a curious kitten. Leo shifted in his seat. He couldn't feel Takumi, but that didn't mean he liked watching Takumi’s hand go through him. It made Leo feel uncomfortable.

“What the hell..?” Takumi muttered, looking genuinely confused. Leo felt his lips tug into an even bigger smirk. He was outsmarting the prince of Hoshido, his counterpart. He had chose Takumi to haunt because of his age- the same as Leo’s. It wasn't bad that he was nice to look at as well.

Leo made a brushing movement with his hand and stood up to get Takumi’s hand to stop going through him. “Maybe you're just going insane. Maybe I'm just a figment of your imagination.” Leo suggested. Takumi gave Leo a shit-eating grin.

“You expect me to believe that, Nohrian scum?” Takumi squeaked at the end of his sentence. Takumi covered his mouth and Leo began laughing. Leo laughed hard, holding onto his stomach. Takumi glared at Leo, still covering his mouth.

“Stupid headband prick!” Takumi yelled, his voice squeaking once more. Leo laughed harder, tears beginning to form in his eyes. _Head band prick._ Oh goodness, it was awful.

“Takumi?” A voice called, but with Leo laughing none of the two boys were able to hear it.

Takumi’s bedroom door slid open, revealing a very concerned man with long brown hair. Leo was sure this man was Ryoma, the first prince of Hoshido. Everything about the tall prince matched up to what Xander told Leo about the high prince of Hoshido. “Takumi, are you okay?” Ryoma asked, smiling in relief as he looked around the bedroom.

Leo froze as Ryoma’s gaze passed through him. He relaxed at Ryoma looked back to Takumi, calm as if the second royal prince of Nohr wasn't sitting in his little brother’s bedroom, making fun of him for his voice cracks. The spell had succeeded. Only Takumi could see and hear him. “Y-yeah. I'm fine.” Takumi said, gritting his teeth and looking at Leo.

Ryoma looked to where Takumi was looking at. “Are you sure, little brother?” Ryoma asked softly, the concern growing in his voice. Takumi nodded, still staring at Leo. Ryoma scratched his head, confusion clear on his face. Leo winked at Takumi and continued watching the scene unfold.

Takumi glared at Leo and then turned back to Ryoma. Ryoma’s confusion just seemed more and more obvious as he looked around Takumi’s room again. “Yes. I am sure. Thank you. Goodbye.” Takumi said, his voice tense. Leo looked over to the Fujin Yumi sitting on Takumi’s bed.

Leo let out a disappointed sigh as Ryoma had left the room. Xander had described him as, “A true warrior and honorable opponent on the battlefield.” But here he just seemed foolish for not investigating Takumi more and noticing the Fujin Yumi. Maybe this wasn't Ryoma. Yeah that seemed right, no high prince wouldn't see or sense an intruder.

As the door slid shut, Takumi walked up to Leo. “You're terrible.” Takumi said, poking his finger through Leo’s chest. Leo stood up from the chair and moved away from Takumi so his finger wasn't sticking through him.

Leo snorted and rolled his eyes. “So you ran out of insults and just go with ‘You're terrible.’ Good job, Prince Takumi of Hoshido. I'm truly amazed. You have all of my loyalty and my first born child.” Leo said sarcastically. Takumi let out a big huff of air, his frustration showing.

“I'm going to tell Ryoma. Once I figure out what you're doing.” Takumi threatened. Leo nodded slowly. It was better than telling Ryoma now. No one would believe you if you told them you were being haunted by a vampire that only you could see.

The Nohrian family had always done their best in keeping information about the royal family out of Hoshido. All the Hoshidans knew about the family was that they were to be feared. Ryoma had faced off against Xander once, ending in a draw. Xander was punished for his failure, while Leo watched the celebration lights from a hill overlooking the Hoshidan capital. That was the first time it occurred to Leo how different their two kingdoms were. Hoshido could celebrate a draw, while Nohr could only treat it as failure to do better next time.

Leo sat on Takumi's bed. “Do you really think he would believe you?” He sneered. Takumi ignored him, but the insult had hit home.

“Get off of my bed.” Takumi said, making a waving motion with his hands. Leo leaned back into the sheets.

Leo propped his head up on Takumi’s pillow. “Nope. Remember, I'm not here. Its impossible for me to actually be on this bed right now.” Leo pointed out.

Takumi made a disgusted face and tried to pull Leo off the bed, unsuccessful as usual. Takumi fell backwards onto the floor. Leo laughed, covering his mouth with his hand to hide his smile. “Stupid Nohrian.” Takumi mumbled, crossing his arms and looking away like a child.

“At least I didn't get my weapon stolen by a stranger.” Leo said gently, the venom sinking out of his words. Takumi stood up and dusted himself off, once more ignoring Leo's remark.

“I'm not leaving you out of my sight. Come on, we're going to get breakfast.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you so much for all of the support this fic has been getting! all of the kind word ive been told absolutely makes my day/week/month. im so glad people have been enjoying this! thank you so much for reading, and see you next chapter~
> 
> head band prick lmao


	6. Chapter 6

Takumi hated this. He hated Leo, he hated the Fujin Yumi, he hated Nohr, he hated fate for making him end up in this situation. 

Leo, damn him, was walking smoothly behind him as if castle Shirasagi was his home. His confidence pissed Takumi off more than anything. The permanent smirk that always seemed to be displayed on Leo’s face bragged to him that he couldn't do anything. Takumi desperately wanted to wipe the smirk off his face by any means necessary. 

He couldn't though. Ryoma would think he was insane for claiming he had an invisible vampire named Leo stalking him. Even Takumi wouldn’t believe himself, it sounded just so strange and unbelievable. He was the only one who could see Leo, the only one that could do anything about him. 

Yet here he was, now walking side by side with a vampire. The very same vampire that he had sworn to kill. 

Leo had been looking at the castle walls and ceilings the whole time, occasionally stopping to touch them before running back up to Takumi. “What are you doing? Stop.” Takumi said, slightly irritated by the vampire's curiosity. 

Leo looked over to Takumi. “I'm studying the architecture. It's really beautiful.” He muttered, crossing his arms. “I read about them in a book.” He explained. 

Takumi’s eyes widened before he quickly regained his composure. He didn't expect the vampire to say something so artistic. He thought the vampire would have said something about world domination or whatever vampires do. “Yeah, well, stop.” Takumi said, sounding slightly deflated. Leo raised an eyebrow. He took a step towards the wall and put his hand on it, giving Takumi a shit eating grin. 

Takumi rolled his eyes and kept walking, trying to distract himself by thinking of other things. Breakfast, yes they could go get breakfast. He looked back at Leo. Did ghost vampire stalkers need to eat too? “Do you need to eat?” Takumi asked quietly as maids passed him by. One gave Takumi a strange glance before scuttling back to work. 

Leo shook his head silently. Leo opened his mouth and pointed to his long upper canines, much longer than Takumi’s. “I doubt you'd be able to feed me if I could eat in this form.” He said. Takumi felt a shiver go down his spine as he received another reminder that Leo wasn't human. 

Leo was a monster, and Takumi couldn't let himself forget what the vampire was capable of. Two of his teeth had the ability to end Takumi's life. Leo was a hunter, leaving Takumi as nothing more than prey. Takumi looked back at Leo, meeting his eyes and quickly looking away. 

Takumi walked into the hall where his family usually ate. Ryoma, Corrin, and Sakura were already seated. The only empty seats were Takumi’s and Hinoka’s. Takumi sat down in the chair between Sakura and Hinoka’s empty one. He looked back at Leo, almost offering to get him a seat. Takumi turned away from Leo. He was an unwanted guest that didn't need to be served. 

Leo shrugged and walked around so that he was standing right behind Ryoma. Takumi wanted to yell out that the vampire was standing right behind him, but he couldn't. He would have to wait until he composed a trap to expose Leo. Takumi let out a huff of annoyance. 

Sakura looked at him. “Are you okay, b-big brother?” She asked nervously. “You s-seem upset…” Sakura blinked, her eyes wide. Leo laughed quietly and walked over to Sakura. His russet colored eyes stared at Sakura, composed and calculating. Takumi glared at Leo. 

Sakura let out a small whimper and looked to the ground. She rubbed her eyes quickly and avoided Takumi’s gaze. “Oh gods, Sakura I didn't mean to glare at you.” Takumi said quickly, realizing his mistake. The table hit an awkward silence as Sakura sniffled. 

“I'm here. Sorry for being late- Sakura?” Hinoka’s voice rang out. She rushed to Sakura’s side, her hand on Sakura’s back. “Are you okay?” Hinoka asked, putting her hand gently on her little sister’s cheek. Sakura nodded slowly. 

“I-I’m fine. J-just got a bit frightened.” Sakura said quietly. “May I be excused?”

“Yes, of course. I’ll bring food up to your room.” Corrin said, responding before Ryoma could open his mouth. Sakura stood up and sniffled again, Corrin and Hinoka at her side as she exited the room. 

Leo, Takumi, and Ryoma were the only ones left in the room. The doors opened, maids rushing in to put down food in front of Takumi and Ryoma before leaving. Takumi looked down at his food, trying to ignore Ryoma. 

“Takumi.” Ryoma started, his voice surprisingly kind. Takumi looked over to the side, making eye contact with Leo. Leo dipped his head...apologetically? Why would the vampire care whether or not Takumi screwed up his relationships with his family? Shouldn’t he want the royal family's close bonds to diminish? 

Takumi looked over to his brother. His long dark brown hair was combed back. Takumi’s shoulders relaxed. He was so used to seeing Ryoma in his armor, it felt nice to see him out of it. “Is anything wrong? You've seemed so distant lately. If its about the Fujin Yumi, I'm working on search parties to send out to find it. Bloodspill or not, we'll get it back for you.” Ryoma said, giving Takumi a tired smile. 

Takumi poked at his food. “I already got it back.” He mumbled, feeling awfully conscious of Leo’s presence. Leo sat next to Takumi, pulling back the chair. He put his elbow on the table, resting his head in the palm of his hand. 

Ryoma scooted back a little. “Did you move the chair, Takumi? And when did you get the yumi back?” He asked, watching the chair intently. Takumi shook his head, trying to play innocent. 

“Is age affecting you, Ryoma?” Takumi joked. “I went out last night. I found it nestled in the grass.” Leo let out a small laugh. Takumi shut his eyes in annoyance. 

Gods, Leo was so annoying.

“Thats good.” Ryoma was still looking at Leo’s chair. Takumi stood up. The situation was awkward and he didn't want to stick around. 

“I'm going hunting.”

“You've barely eaten.”

“I'm going hunting.” Takumi repeated, walking out of the dining room. Leo followed him, his hands behind his back. 

“You're a good liar, Prince Takumi.” Leo said, walking side by side with Takumi. Takumi stepped into his room, grabbing the Fujin Yumi before going back to Leo. 

Takumi raised an eyebrow. “Is that a compliment or an insult?” He said, walking through the halls. Leo shrugged and looked back at the ceiling. Takumi squinted as he looked at Leo. The scenery behind the vampire was slightly visible through the vampire's body. 

Leo really did look like a ghost. A fleeting illusion that could disappear in the wind. His face looked delicate, reminding Takumi of one of Sakura’s dolls. 

“Take is as however you want Prince Takumi. Although, in this world of darkness, it was meant as a compliment.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all the support! I LOVE writing this! Stay tuned for the next chapter!


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7  
Takumi gave Leo a weird glance. He had meant it as a compliment, but why? Takumi shook his head and stepped out of the castle onto the dirt path. Leo was probably just trying to deceive him, he was a Nohrian after all. Nohrians were nothing but liars and deceivers. 

Leo looked up at the sun, his eyes squinted in the harsh light. “Is it always this bright here?” He asked. His pale skin was shining in the sun like glass. Takumi looked up at the sun and looked down, his eyes slightly burning. 

“Yeah. We don't usually get anything but constant sun.” Takumi explained. The sun always shined down upon the kingdom of Hoshido. It was never too hot, or too cold. The weather was always perfect. Judging by Leo’s surprised expression, it wasn't the same back in Nohr. 

“Back home in Nohr,” Leo looked into Takumi’s eyes as he spoke. “We have nothing but constant cloud or rain. It gets tiresome.” Leo took a step next to a bird. It remained on the ground, clearly unable to see Leo. The bird was just like everyone else, blind and unable to see Leo. Leo could get away with anything and no one would see. Only Takumi was able to see him, only Takumi could do something about it. 

Which was exactly why Takumi had to stop him. “So are you going to be here full time?” Takumi asked, looking over to his left at Leo. 

Leo shook his head, and Takumi swore he saw Leo’s expression darken. “I have matters of my own that I'll need to take care of.” The vampire looked over to the side at the view of the rolling, green hills. Takumi stopped walking. The vampire had shut down the conversation quickly with only a simple sentence. Takumi was tempted to pry more, but decided against it. He had to try to the vampire's good side. 

“This way.” Takumi said, turning a sharp left off path. Leo was now behind him, following his every move like a puppet. Takumi didn't want to stray too far from castle Shirasagi today, not with the enemy at least. 

Even thinking of the forest of cherry blossoms sent chills down his spine. If Leo had snuck in there so easily, why couldn’t other vampires? Was Hoshido really that easy to invade unnoticed? Takumi knew that Ryoma sent out border patrols three times a day, one at morning, one in the afternoon, and one at the dead of night. Takumi had been on many before. The patrols were thorough and designed to make sure no vampires had crossed the Hoshidan border. The patrols were long and exasperating. Once one patrol got back, a new one was sent out afterwards. The only gap was between the night and morning patrols. 

The afternoon patrols had failed to catch Leo. Leo had made it past the border and into Hoshidan lands. The very thought disgusted Takumi, how had he done that? Takumi quickly looked back at Leo. The cocky Nohrian has the same expression as always, a still and cool face. If Leo felt anything, he wasn't showing it. 

Takumi stopped in his tracks. “I'm hunting here. Can you stay close to me? If I see anything I don’t want it to be you.” He grumbled. Leo laughed and gave Takumi a small smile. 

“What if I don't, Prince Takumi?” Leo stood straight in front of Takumi. 

“Then I'll shoot you.” Takumi threatened, only half meaning it. “Damn Nohrian.” He added. 

Leo folded his arms and continued to stand in front of Takumi. “You can't though.” He clicked his tongue. “Damn Hoshidan.” Leo teased, the sides of his mouth slightly quirking up. Takumi turned around and looked the other way so he couldn't see Leo. As he thought, Leo simply walked over and stood in front of Takumi again. 

“You’re predictable. How do you even last on the battlefield? Your strategy to get information out of me is to just annoy the hell out of me.” Takumi said sharply, exasperated. Leo raised an eyebrow, his smile disappearing. His gaze turned from soft to sharp. 

“Strategy? What would you know about strategy, Prince Takumi? You're dependant on your Fujin Yumi. What if I had destroyed it?” Leo fired back. Takumi clutched his Fujin Yumi tightly, slightly shaken. He would be useless Prince Takumi, the prince who could do nothing without his Fujin Yumi. 

No, he couldn't think like that. He couldn't let this arrogant vampire speak to him like this. “I've read every damn strategy book in the castle! I’ve studied all our records of past battles! Of course I know strategy, I'm not a fool, Leo!” Takumi yelled. 

The world seemed to go silent as Takumi finished yelling. Leo’s lips were shut firmly for longer than Takumi could handle. Takumi turned around, marching in the opposite direction. “I'm going back. Don’t follow me, filthy Nohrian.” Takumi said coldly. No response. How could Leo just go silent? Shouldn't he try to fight back?

“You study battle strategy?” Takumi heard Leo say quietly. Takumi stopped walking and looked back at Leo, who in turn met his eyes. 

Takumi blinked. “If I have free time.” He admitted. “I haven't told anyone about it, well, I guess I've told you now.” His cheeks turned red with embarrassment. Takumi didn't like anyone knowing he studied strategy, especially when he knew there were way better strategists in Hoshido. It just felt like a childish hobby to him. 

Leo’s eyes seemed to glow with interest. “I do too. Its truly fascinating.” He walked up to Takumi. “Where do you read?” The vampire had abandoned all hostility in the blink of an eye. 

Takumi’s eyes widened, surprised at the sudden warmth from Leo. The Nohrian had went from spiky to intrigued in a mere second. “Hoshido has some books with accounts of previous battles. I really like them.” Takumi said slowly, unsure of how much he wanted to share with the Nohrian. 

Leo gave Takumi a small smile. “Back home, the books on strategy are so fascinating. I could read them for hours.” Leo smile grew warm as he gave off a nostalgic vibe. Seeing the vampire feel so content gave Takumi a weird feeling that he didn't really like. 

“Do you want to read with me in the library?” Takumi asked quietly. Corrin had read with him in the past, but he never had time to anymore. He fully expected to be flat out refused, and then wallow in self-regret for the following days. He did not expect the vampire to smile at him kindly and then agree to the offer. 

“Thank you, Prince Takumi. I would enjoy browsing the books in your library.” Leo’s voice was formal as usual, but Takumi could swear there was a small bit of tenderness mixed in. 

Takumi smiled to himself, suddenly feeling a bit warm. He was excited at the idea of finally reading with someone again. He had spent so many nights curled up in the library, alone. “We can go right now- Leo?”

Leo’s image was flickering like a candle about to die. Takumi’s warmness dropped straight into his stomach, turning cold. “I have to go.” Leo said. “M-ma-ybe ne-nex-t ti-me?” Leo asked, his voice sounding distorted and unnatural. Takumi’s eyes widened. 

“Whats going on?” He asked, running up to Leo. Leo smiled sadly at the prince. 

“Se-e y-ou nex-t ti-m-e, Pr-ince Ta-ku-mi.” The vampire flickered one last time and then finally disappeared. Takumi looked at the spot where the vampire was just standing with astonishment. He had just been talking with Leo, and now he was gone. 

The vampire had disappeared in an instant.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I AM SO SORRY THIS WAS SO LATE  
> ahhh i had so much stuff to do. i would work on the chapter slowly bit after bit bUT NOW ITS HERE  
> thank you all so much for the support! i love reading and responding to all of your comments!


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